Iron Maiden Present Their First Double Album: 'The Book Of Souls'

Heavy metal giants Iron Maiden are set to return with their first ever double album later this year, enticingly titled 'The Book Of Souls'. It's being released in time to celebrate the recovery of frontman Bruce Dickinson, who recently won his battle with tongue cancer.

Iron Maiden return with their first ever double album

Five years isn't the longest we've ever had to wait for an Iron Maiden album, but it's long enough. Fans can't complain though as they are due to be presented with a whopping 92 minutes worth of music from the metal legends as they unveil 'The Book Of Souls' this Autumn. The album was recorded in Guillame Tell Studios in Paris - where they did 2000's 'Brave New World - with their usual trusty producer Kevin 'Caveman' Shirley, and while it's been ready to go for a while, they held the project back a few months to allow Bruce to recover enough to join in the celebrations.

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'We approached this album in a different way to how we've recorded previously', says bassist Steve Harris. 'A lot of the songs were actually written while we were there in the studio and we rehearsed and recorded them straight away while they were still fresh, and I think that immediacy really shows in the songs, they have almost a live feel to them, I think. I'm very proud of 'The Book Of Souls', we all are, and we can't wait for our fans to hear it, and especially to take it out on the road next year!.

Meanwhile Bruce is equally as pleased with the results, and admitted there was a lot of nostalgia there throughout the recording process. 'We're really excited about 'The Book Of Souls' and had a fantastic time creating it', he says. 'The studio holds special memories for all of us. We were delighted to discover the same magical vibe is still alive and very much kicking there! So we immediately felt at home and the ideas just started flowing. By the time we'd finished we all agreed that each track was such an integral part of the whole body of work that if it needed to be a double album, then double it's going to be!'

The album went into production following their two-year Maiden England World Tour, and follows their 2005 UK number one album 'The Final Frontier'.

More: Read our review of 'From Fear To Eternity - The Best Of 1990 - 2010'

'The Book Of Souls' will be released on September 4th 2015 through Parlophone Records.

Tracklist:
Disc 1
1. If Eternity Should Fail (Dickinson) 8:28
2. Speed Of Light (Smith/ Dickinson) 5:01
3. The Great Unknown (Smith/ Harris) 6:37
4. The Red And The Black (Harris) 13:33
5. When The River Runs Deep (Smith/ Harris) 5:52
6. The Book Of Souls (Gers/ Harris) 10:27
Disc 2
7. Death Or Glory (Smith/ Dickinson) 5:13
8. Shadows Of The Valley (Gers/ Harris) 7:32
9. Tears Of A Clown (Smith/ Harris) 4:59
10. The Man Of Sorrows (Murray/ Harris) 6:28
11. Empire Of The Clouds (Dickinson) 18:01